Lt. Gov. Phil Scott works at recycling facility

Lt. Gov. Scott worked at just about every station in the center, from hand-sorting bottles along a conveyor belt, to running a specialized magnet that sorts aluminum from other metals. Although Casella’s curbside recycling service is “zero-sort” for the customer, there’s plenty of sorting that happens at the facility to prepare cardboard, plastic, and various metals for separate commodities markets.

“It’s an impressive enterprise,” Scott said. “With so much waste coming through that building, it could be a disaster. But it’s clean, well staffed, and incredibly well organized.”

Scott commented on the mix of hand labor and automation used in the sorting operation, and he was struck by the job opportunities that could be afforded by this and other centers as the recycling industry grows. He also noted that the 30-plus telephone operators working in Rutland handle inquiries from all over New England. “Usually, we hear about customer service jobs being outsourced. It was great to see the opposite happening here.”

Yesterday's shift at the recycling center is part of Lt. Gov. Scott’s “Vermont Everyday Jobs” initiative, which he started in 2011. Scott has worked more than 25 such jobs so far in a wide variety of organizations, ranging from beekeeping to manufacturing to health care. These hands-on experiences have given Scott a personal appreciation for how state government can help Vermont businesses work better.

For more information about the initiative and previous jobs, click here.